After bidding farewell to Tang Hao and Tang San, Xiao Lin and Tang San resumed their normal lives.
Now that Xiao Lin completely outclassed Tang San in terms of strength, he found a new research topic for himself.
This was the matter of external spirit bones.
Regarding the spirit beasts that have been confirmed to potentially produce external spirit bones, how could one extract an external spirit bone from them?
He was talking about you, the Man-faced Demon Spider.
If Xiao Lin could successfully research this, everything would proceed as per the original plot.
The Eight Spider Spears would go to Tang San, and the external spirit bone from the Evil Eye Tyrant would be claimed by him, Xiao Lin.
If the research didn't work out, then Xiao Lin would keep the Eight Spider Spears, and the Evil Eye Tyrant's external spirit bone would go to Tang San.
An external spirit bone that could evolve into a divine tool was something Xiao Lin could never give up.
Tang San, his good brother, also didn't deserve to miss out on one of these external spirit bones.
However, if Xiao Lin took the Eight Spider Spears for himself, he needed to think about what traits the Man-faced Demon Spider possessed that would be useful for him.
Currently, the only spirit ability he could think of that would match well with him was a "Spider Sense" type of ability.
When Xiao Lin thought about how unlikely it was for ordinary spirit beasts to produce external spirit bones, he realized he could never give up the Man-faced Demon Spider's potential.
If he became a god, having one more external spirit bone would be like having one more divine artifact.
Among the external spirit bones Xiao Lin knew about, there were only five in total.
The Eight Spider Spears, Bibi Dong's wings, the Dark Gold Terror Claw, the Evil Eye, and his own little cow's horn.
Though Xiao Lin didn't understand why, he felt that external spirit bones could only drop from rare spirit beasts.
Take the Great Strength Diamond Ox, for example. Its strength and diamond-like properties already made it incredibly special, even though it wasn't as rare as expected.
Similarly, Dai Mubai's Evil Eye White Tiger absorbed the Diamond Tiger, which was considered a "diamond" spirit beast.
Then there was the Man-faced Demon Spider. It was said to have a devouring attribute and a murderous nature, which made it widely despised by other spirit beasts, thus it was constantly hunted.
This was an indication of its rarity.
Thinking about these rare spirit beasts, Xiao Lin also recalled an even rarer one.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger, a 60,000-year-old spirit beast, nearly killed Tang San in the past.
This tiger also likely had an external spirit bone, right? Its tail was like an Evil God Orb.
Tang San never obtained it. Could it be that the external spirit bone of the Dark Devilgod Tiger ended up in another world?
Who was the protagonist who had a harem in that story?
Xiao Lin had long forgotten the names of these characters, but the protagonist from the story seemingly became overpowered because he obtained the Dark Devilgod Tiger's treasure. He ended up becoming a god with Tang San's help.
Xiao Lin decided that no matter what, he had to get his hands on the Dark Devilgod Tiger.
If the Dark Devilgod Tiger really did have an external spirit bone, he would help Tang San catch it, and the external spirit bone would go to Tang San.
As for Xiao Lin, he would absorb the Eight Spider Spears and the Evil Eye Tyrant's external spirit bones.
Three external spirit bones, three divine artifacts, a perfect trifecta.
It would be invincible.
Even though Xiao Lin only had the Dragonstaff martial soul, the three divine artifacts would allow him to rival Tang San.
The Eight Spider Spears would evolve into divine wings, increasing his speed.
The Little Cow's Horn would evolve into a divine laser emitter, increasing his strength.
The Evil Eye would evolve into the Eye of the Gods, increasing his mental power.
Hiss!
Xiao Lin couldn't help but inhale sharply, realizing that he didn't even need to think about how to extract external spirit bones anymore.
He could just absorb the Man-faced Demon Spider's soul ring.
But there was a problem. He couldn't just take one ordinary spider skill.
Perhaps the Man-faced Demon Spider's speed was actually decent.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to escape from spirit beasts hunting it. It couldn't have always counterattacked, right?
After thinking about it, Xiao Lin realized that the Man-faced Demon Spider's speed had to be impressive.
If he absorbed its soul ring, the resulting abilities would likely involve speed, as the eight-legged spider had to be fast to survive.
The final abilities Xiao Lin expected were likely as follows:
One would be a rapid physical attack, like the dragon-shaped staff's shadow, resembling a spider web that could trap enemies.
The other would be a fast energy-based attack, possibly a spiderweb combined with an indestructible energy attack, creating a strong cutting power.
Additionally, Xiao Lin expected that his abilities would likely carry some poison.
But he wasn't worried about the poison.
One, because Tang San, the poison master, was always around.
Two, because his Eight Spider Spears had a devouring ability and could handle any toxic energy.
Xiao Lin wasn't too concerned about the poison. What mattered more was that the Man-faced Demon Spider's soul ring compatibility with him wasn't ideal.
Its enhancement of his abilities wouldn't be as exaggerated as the first spirit ability.
But with an external spirit bone, Xiao Lin wouldn't complain.
The enhancement from his weapon spirit would be enough to make his speed comparable to agile-type soul masters.
Still, he needed to figure out a way to improve his compatibility with the Man-faced Demon Spider's soul ring.
He recalled that the Dark Gold Terror Claw from Huo Yuhao was also something no one could absorb, but it was given to him.
Could he do the same?
Having mostly decided on the Man-faced Demon Spider's soul ring, Xiao Lin shifted his focus back to researching the potential of Tang San's food-based Blue Silver Grass.
Meanwhile, in Notting City, Notting City's Primary Academy.
In an isolated office, Yu Xiaogang trembled with anger, his gaze fixed on the rejection letter in his hand.
He had been rejected!
He was a Master, after all!
Yu Xiaogang looked at the response from the Wuhun Newspaper and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Sorry, your theory doesn't meet the requirements of our Wuhun Newspaper. You may try submitting to other cities' Wuhun Newspapers."
Rejected! How dare they reject my manuscript!
Do they even know who I am?
My research on Blue Silver Grass cultivation and soul ring absorption—wasn't it reasonable enough?
This was my best soul ring configuration and choice!
Yu Xiaogang felt deeply insulted, nearly tearing the manuscript to shreds.
Damn it, this is unforgivable!
In the past few days, Yu Xiaogang had overheard other teachers secretly criticizing him. He hadn't minded at all, proudly holding his head high and sneering at those teachers.
A lion doesn't care about the mockery of a mouse.
But now, this rejection made everything feel humiliating.
He was Yu Xiaogang, after all!
Filled with indignation, Yu Xiaogang resented the editors at the Wuhun Newspaper for not recognizing his brilliance.
Fine, since you didn't appreciate me, I'll stop pretending.
I'll reveal my true identity—I am a Master!
This time, I'll write my name clearly, and let's see if you dare reject my manuscript again!
Yu Xiaogang sat back down and began writing his new manuscript on the soul ring configuration for the staff weapon spirit.
(End of Chapter)